Abstract
The use of silicon in agriculture probably began in China more than 2000 years ago because farmers at that time incorporated rice straw along with manure as a fertilizer to enhance plant performance and yield. In 1917, the potential of silicon to reduce blast on rice was first reported by a plant chemist, and his discovery launched a cascade of silicon research in Japan. The role of silicon in plant growth and potential disease reduction was first noted for dicots in 1939. As a result of research from the 1980s until today, silicon’s potential to decrease the intensity of many diseases is now known for a large number of plant species. Since the early discovery that this quasi-essential element believed to be unimportant in plant development plays a major role in reducing plant diseases, research has revealed that amending plants with silicon is a simple, sustainable way to help maintain and enhance plant health in agriculture.
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Datnoff, L.E., Rodrigues, F.A. (2015). History of Silicon and Plant Disease. In: Rodrigues, F., Datnoff, L. (eds) Silicon and Plant Diseases. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22930-0_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22930-0_1
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